'Kuwait Bikers' was the first bikers' team in Kuwait, which formed in 1996 and disbanded in 2004. Last week, 11 founding members got together to form a new version of Kuwait Bikers. "The members of our old team got busy with their lives and not many activities were held, so the team dissolved. Now we have decided to stage a comeback with a new team and new members, both Kuwaitis and expats," Ali Al-Mousawi, group leader and founder of the Kuwait Bikers, told Kuwait Times.

The team has set rules for members. "A potential member should be older than 30, gender and nationality no bar, and hold a valid driving license. The bikes allowed to join our team are touring and cruising bikes. No trikes (three-wheeled bikes) or sports bikes are allowed. All bikers and even pillion riders should always wear DOT certified helmets. We encourage wearing helmets and our motto is 'Respect rules and drive safely'," Mousawi explained.

These rules have been placed for a reason. "Some groups are noisy, as their bikes are loud, which makes people get annoyed. Also, other groups don't have really strong rules and have many young members who like sports and noisy bikes and high speeds, while we ride with average speeds of 60 to 100 km/h. We aim to enjoy time with friends and not disturb people, while trying to represent our team in the best way," stressed Mousawi.

The team will hold various activities for members. "We will be teaching about road signs, so all members will be qualified to be road captains, and unlike the other groups, we will have a different road captain every week. No other group or team has done this before and they always have the same road captain for the whole year and maybe even longer," he pointed out.

The team will hold workshops as well. "We will provide workshops and courses for members both in Kuwait and abroad by professional training instructors. These will include various topics such as mechanical information about fixing bikes, how to maintain the bike in summer and many others. We are also planning to provide more facilities for members such as bringing in sponsors for the team, offering special discounts for them at various places and many other facilities," highlighted Mousawi.

The biking season starts from the end of October till the beginning of May. "Some bikers also like to ride during summer, but they can only ride between 2am to 6am due to the extremely hot weather. So we hold all our activities during this season to enjoy this great weather," he said. Membership is open for bikers after a probation period. "Our team won't just accept any biker who applies to join us. The applicant should pass a trial that consists of three rides with us to test his behavior on roads and his respect of our rules. After succeeding in this, he may become a member," concluded Mousawi.

By Nawara Fattahova